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FOXX HEARING TODAY: Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx finally gets his big day in the sun today at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee — and it could be a pretty easy ride for his ascendancy to DOT chief. “I expect things to be relatively smooth. And the markup will come as soon as we can do it. And that’s easier said than done, you know we’ve got Penny [Pritzker], we've got [Tom] Wheeler. I don’t want to sound like I’m dragging my feet. I want to do it as soon as I can,” Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller told MT. Ranking member John Thune echoed that timeline, saying he “suspects” that a vote will come the week after the Memorial Day recess. Asked if the Republicans had passed along any objections or issues with Foxx, Rockefeller said no. “He’s calling everybody and I understand his reception has been pretty good from both sides,” Rockefeller said. Team MT has Pros covered: http://politico.pro/13JTboz

Way out west: Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz said his meeting with Foxx yielded some good news for the Aloha state — that federal funding will still flow to a new rail project in Honolulu. “The indication was that the policy of the Department of Transportation and of the Federal Transit Administration with respect to any full-funding grant agreement will not change,” Schatz told MT. “It’s an agreement, it’s an obligation that the federal government has undertaken so we’re confident.” Hawaii’s junior senator by a few days, Mazie Hirono, joked to MT that she was “a little bit busy” with the immigration bill but added (seriously) that she hopes to meet with Foxx in the coming weeks.

In attendance: Family members of those killed in the Colgan Air crash will be in the crowd at Foxx’s hearing, with an ear out for any mention of pilot rest and training rules. “There is no doubt that the airlines are employing every trick in their lobbying playbook to find the weakest link at FAA, DOT, or OMB and get them to agree to water down these proposed regulations in their favor,” said Scott Maurer, who lost his daughter Lorin in the crash.

RAIL PANEL REJECTION: Former T&I Chairman John Mica’s reliance on Railroads panel courtesy came to an end on Tuesday, when ranking member Corrine Brown temporarily blocked Mica from making an opening statement. Brown said there’s “no bad blood” between the two, she just wants the committee to follow its own rules. “I wasn’t trying to embarrass anybody, but the point is this has happened three times. And if you want to change the rules, thats OK,” Brown told MT. “If he wants to speak, then let somebody from the other side also make opening remarks.” Mica said he didn’t object because it was within Brown’s rights to block him, but he said it may have been more of a censoring than a procedural maneuver. “She just wanted to cut me off, which she can do under the rules. I wasn’t going to contest it because technically she can do it,” Mica explained. “She’s a big Amtrak fan and she knows what I’m going to do and say, which is highly critical of Amtrak.”

Interested: If Peter DeFazio leaves his Highways and Transit ranking membership for Natural Resources, Brown told MT that she may have some interest in the important T&I position.

Dogs on a train: Railroads panel Chair Jeff Denham and Steve Cohen have introduced a bill to allow pets on Amtrak trains. Unlike airplanes, pets are largely banned on Amtrak trains, but the Pets on Trains Act hopes to fix that.

NO EXIT: Airports reeling from the loss of millions of dollars for infrastructure projects are worried about taking on a costly new duty: manning the exit gates where fliers leave the terminal after landing. The TSA wants to shed the burden for “exit lane” staffing and make airports responsible for ensuring that sneaky fliers — or worse, terrorists — don’t slip in through the out door. The TSA’s move has drawn the ire of airports, airlines and House lawmakers. TSA Administrator John Pistole is expected to formalize the shift “over the next few days,” according to an agency official, but the opposition is stacking up. A House Appropriations report says the change came “without full consultation with the impacted airports.” And the head of the Spokane International Airport says his facility “will not accept the amendment” and “will go to court if needed.” Adam has Pros covered: http://politico.pro/10SkpFb

POLITICO PRO TO LAUNCH ‘CEO REPORT’ IN JUNE: POLITICO Pro’s latest newsletter, “CEO Report,” will debut next month. Written by POLITICO Playbook’s Mike Allen and Pro Editor Martin Kady II, the once-a-month feature will offer executives and policy professionals an exclusive summary of the most important policy debates. CEO Report’s easy-to-read, forward-looking format is designed to get you up to speed without having to sort through the daily minutia of Washington policy. Interested in receiving CEO Report? Become a Pro today: https://www.politicopro.com/proinfo/

YOU DOWN WITH STB? Requests for a Surface Transportation Board extension of public comment for California’s high-speed rail authority were denied, removing one small but significant impediment for the rail line’s potential ground-breaking this summer. After hearing pleas from both congressional opponents and supporters of high-speed rail efforts in California, the board voted 2-1 to end the comment period on May 8 on the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s request for exemption from STB jurisdiction. Now we wait for the exemption decision. Read on for some fun congressional back and forth: http://1.usa.gov/166idSe

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AUTOMAKERS KNOCK RENTAL CAR BILL: Recriminations flew Tuesday at a Senate hearing on rental car recall legislation, with senators and auto manufacturers duking it out in a way that suggests the bill has a long way to enactment. The chief protagonists in the Senate Commerce subcommittee drama were EPW Chair Barbara Boxer and Mitch Bainwol, president and CEO of the Alliance of Auto Manufacturers. The two frequently interrupted and sometimes talked over one another in a hearing where Sen. Claire McCaskill, a former prosecutor more known for her blunt and probing questioning style, sometimes played mediator. Kathryn for Pros: http://politico.pro/18fWC7a

IT’S A GAS, TAX: For the past three years, federal and state gas taxes’ total share of gas prices have stayed at recent historical lows, totalling about 14 percent even as prices rise, according to a new two-pager from the Institution on Tax and Economic Policy. That’s way off the number as recently as 2002, when the taxes took up 34 percent of the total cost of a gallon o’ gas. http://bit.ly/12rLTmi

QUICK RETURN: Metro-North and Amtrak trains resumed service between New York and Boston on Tuesday afternoon, a day earlier than expected. Full Metro-North and Amtrak service resumes today after yesterday’s trains were restricted to one track and speeds of 30 mph.

MT POLL — Will Foxx make it across finish line? DOT nominee Foxx has a big week ahead of him in the Senate, so help us handicap how successful his nomination will ultimately be. Will he easily slide through, get held up or maybe get narrowly confirmed? Let us know by Sunday at noon: http://poll.fm/48hf7

THE COUNTDOWN: DOT funding and passenger rail policy both run out in 132 days. Surface transportation policy is up in 500 days and FAA policy in 862 days. The mid-term elections are in 531 days.

CABOOSE — Ironic sinkhole: 14th Street was closed part of Tuesday for repairs on a sizable sinkhole — right outside the AAA national offices at F St. The irony was not lost on MT, as AAA has advocated for greater infrastructure spending to address exactly this kind of problem. “This is a very immediate example of the types of severe infrastructure and road problems that cities across the country face every day,” AAA’s Michael Green said.Check out a pic from early in the day (http://politico.pro/10SqLnW) and in the late afternoon, when it’s much larger (http://politico.pro/10jFOuv).

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